New data released by the Census Bureau underscore the important contributions of the Affordable Care Act as the share of Americans without health insurance declined in 2011 for the first time in four years.

“We’re disappointed by the ruling and again urge the Corbett administration to take a step back and delay implementation of this law until the commonwealth can ensure that every voter who needs an ID can obtain one,” Sharon Ward said in a statement today.

The Senate, responding to Pennsylvanians’ deep concerns about service cuts, passed a budget bill that is a significant improvement over Gov. Tom Corbett’s budget. Still, lawmakers are leaving money on the table.

The Pennsylvania House will take up a bill this week that couples a half-hearted attempt to close corporate tax loopholes with nearly a billion dollars in business tax cuts by the end of the decade. Read Sharon Ward's memo to editors and reporters outlining concerns about the bill.

A bipartisan state House bill aimed at closing corporate tax loopholes will not get the job done, but will enact large tax cuts undermining investments in schools and assets that strengthen our economy, according to a Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center analysis.

Large financial institutions, including many that received financial bailouts through the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), will continue to make hundreds of millions of dollars off interest rate swaps negotiated with the City and School District of Philadelphia, according to a new report from the Pennsylvania Budget and Policy Center (PBPC).